Karnataka Chief Minister-designate HD Kumaraswamy on Monday met Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati at her residence in the national capital and invited her for his oath ceremony on Wednesday in Bengaluru, Karnataka.Kumaraswamy invited Mayawati for the swearing-in ceremony with a bouquet.Later in the day, Kumaraswamy is expected to meet Congress President Rahul Gandhi. The two will discuss about the future of the Congress-JD-(S) alliance in Karnataka."Ashok Gehlot, KC Venugopal and I briefed Rahul Gandhi on recent political developments in Karnataka. When Kumaraswamy meets Rahul, they will decide on further strategy," said senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad.On Saturday, Kumaraswamy was invited by Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala to form the government in the state, after Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) B.S. Yeddyurappa stepped down ahead of the floor test in the state assembly.While Kumaraswamy was earlier expected to swear-in as Karnataka Chief Minister on Monday, the ...

The Congress will chalk out its strategy and power-sharing arrangement with the JD(S) in Karnataka tomorrow, when its top leaders will hold discussions with party chief Rahul Gandhi in the national capital, ahead of the swearing-in of H D Kumaraswamy as the chief minister of the southern state.
According to sources, senior Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad and Ashok Gehlot will arrive in Delhi tomorrow morning and hold discussions with Gandhi, before finalising the power-sharing arrangement with the JD(S) in the Karnataka government.
The two leaders were stationed in Bengaluru to steer the party's strategy ahead of the floor test in the Karnataka Assembly today.
The BJP's B S Yeddyurappa, however, resigned as the Karnataka chief minister without taking the floor test.
"Everything will be decided in Delhi tomorrow, when the top leaders of the party will hold discussions with Rahul Gandhi," a Congress leader said.
The Congress has extended support to the JD(S) to form a government in ...

The Congress will chalk out its strategy and power-sharing arrangement with the JD(S) in Karnataka tomorrow, when its top leaders will hold discussions with party chief Rahul Gandhi in the national capital, ahead of the swearing-in of H D Kumaraswamy as the chief minister of the southern state.
According to sources, senior Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad and Ashok Gehlot will arrive in Delhi tomorrow morning and hold discussions with Gandhi, before finalising the power-sharing arrangement with the JD(S) in the Karnataka government. The two leaders were stationed in Bengaluru to steer the party's strategy ahead of the floor test in the Karnataka Assembly today. The BJP's B S Yeddyurappa, however, resigned as the Karnataka chief minister without taking the floor test.
"Everything will be decided in Delhi tomorrow, when the top leaders of the party will hold discussions with Rahul Gandhi," a Congress leader said. The Congress has extended support to the JD(S) to form a government in the southern state ...

Ahead of the trust vote in the Karnataka Assembly at 4 pm, the Congress said BJP leader B S Yeddyurappa should have resigned immediately after the Supreme Court ordered an early floor-test, "ending all possibilities of horse-trading".
Exuding confidence of unity among party ranks, Congress General Secretary in charge of organisation Ashok Gehlot said, "Our MLAs are intact and B S Yeddyurappa does not have the numbers."
"He (Yeddyurappa) should have resigned after the SC intervened and directed for the Saturday floor-test ending all scope of horse-trading. At least now he should resign," he told PTI.
Gehlot, who is in Bengaluru since Tuesday when the Karnataka Assembly election results were declared, along with party colleague Ghulam Nabi Azad had steered the Congress strategy in the state.
All Congress MLAs will come to the Assembly and participate in the vote of confidence today, he said while dismissing reports that some newly elected party legislators have gone missing.
According ..

The Congress today accused the Karnataka Raj Bhawan of succumbing to pressure from the Centre and the BJP and disallowing the party to lodge its protest against the appointment of KG Bopaiah as pro-tem speaker.
Congress general secretary Ashok Gehlot, who is camping in Bengaluru for the past few days, alleged that the Raj Bhawan has shut its doors and is not accepting the party's complaint against Bopaiah's appointment.
"Raj Bhawan has succumbed to pressure from the BJP and the Centre as it is not ready to accept our letter of protest," he told PTI.
"We have the mandate as all our MLAs are together and BJP will not be able to prove its majority," he said exuding confidence ahead of the vote of confidence tomorrow.

The Supreme Court directive on Friday to hold floor test in the Karnataka Assembly on Saturday led to heightened political activity in the state, with the Congress-JD-S post-poll alliance sure of Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa losing the battle and the BJP sounding confident to sail through.

The Supreme Court directive on Friday to hold floor test in the Karnataka Assembly on Saturday led to heightened political activity in the state, with the Congress-JD-S post-poll alliance sure of Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa losing the battle and the BJP sounding confident to sail through.

The Congress today took strong objection to the appointment of BJP MLA K G Bopaiah as the pro-tem speaker ahead of tomorrow's floor test in Karnataka, alleging he was "dented and tainted" as strictures were passed against him and indicated it might move court against Governor Vajubhai Vala's decision.
Raising questions over Vala's move to appoint him, Congress communications in-charge Randeep Surjewala said according to convention, the senior-most MLA is appointed the pro-tem speaker and the Governor should have followed past precedents.
The Congress claimed that its eight-time MLA R V Deshpande is the senior-most lawmaker in the assembly and appointing Bopaiah is not according to convention and constitutional norms.
"The option of going back to the court is open," he told reporters when asked whether the Congress is moving court.
"We will positively bring this to matter before the notice of the court." he said when prodded further.
In Bengaluru, Congress general secretary Ashok ...

The Supreme Court on Friday directed that the floor test be held in the Karnataka Assembly at 4 p.m. on Saturday to ascertain the support Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa enjoys, slashing the time given to him by Governor Vajubhai Vala to prove his majority following a split verdict.

In a historic pre-dawn hearing, the Supreme Court today cleared the last-minute hurdle created by the Congress-JD(S) combine for the BJP's ambitious surge in southern India by paving the way for B S Yeddyurappa to be sworn in as the Chief Minister of Karnataka.
Hours after an apex court bench, specially convened in the wee hours, refused the Congress-JD(S) challenge to Governor Vajubhai Vala's communication to Yeddyurappa to be sworn in as CM, the lingayat leader took the oath at 09:00 AM at a simple ceremony in the Raj Bhavan in Bengaluru.
A specially constituted three-judge bench comprising Justices A K Sikri, S A Bobde and Ashok Bhushan, after more than three hours of hearing, made it clear that it was not interfering with the Governor's decision to invite the saffron party to form government in the state in which BJP with 104 seats has emerged as the single largest party.
During the high-voltage hearing, which lasted from 2.11 AM to 5.28 AM, the top court made it clear that the ..

Opposition parties are determined to organise a major movement across the country in defence of democracy, if parliamentary democratic norms are not followed in Karnataka, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said today.
Parties such as the Congress, JD(S), the Left, and other regional ones, who are in touch with each other, are likely to meet either in Bengaluru or Delhi to chalk out their plan for the movement, opposition sources said.
BJP legislature party leader B S Yeddyurappa was today sworn in as the chief minister of Karnataka for a second time, after an overnight high-voltage legal battle in the Supreme Court which refused to stay his swearing-in.
The apex court however made it clear that the swearing-in and the government formation in the state would be subject to the final outcome of the case before it.
The bench, comprising justices A K Sikri, S A Bobde and Ashok Bhushan, posted the matter for further hearing tomorrow morning and ordered placing before it the letter of

The Supreme Court today refused to stay BJP leader B S Yeddyurappa's swearing-in as Karnataka chief minister after a rare post-midnight courtroom battle unfolded dramatically over the Congress-JD(S) combine's legal push to stall the government formation.
After a nearly three-and-a-half-hour hearing beginning 2:11 AM, a three-judge apex court bench also made it clear that the swearing-in and the government formation would be subject to the final outcome of the case before it.
The order came hours before the swearing-in ceremony in Bengaluru, where 75-year-old Yeddyurappa is slated to become chief minister of the state for the second time, even as the Congress-JD(S) combine has been claiming a majority with support of 117 MLAs, against BJP's 104.
The bench, comprising justices A K Sikri, S A Bobde and Ashok Bhushan, posted the matter for further hearing tomorrow morning and ordered placing before it the letter of support from MLAs presented by the BJP to Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala

Minutes after Supreme Court Registrar arrived at the residence of Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra, with the petition by Congress and JD(S) challenging the swearing-in of BJP's B.S. Yeddyurappa, Supreme Court has decided to hear the plea at 1.45 a.m.The hearing will have a three-judge bench of Justice A.K. Sikri, Justice Ashok Bhushan and Justice Gobde.Congress and JD(S) have challenged Karnataka Governor Vajubhai R. Vala's decision to administer oath to BJP legislature party leader Yeddyurappa on Thursday morning at the Raj Bhavan in Bengaluru.Congress has contended that despite the alliance having 115 MLAs they have not been invited by the Governor to form the government and said the "Governor has shamed his office" by inviting the BJP to form the government.The Karnataka Governor yesterday invited Yeddyurappa to form the government after it emerged as the single largest party with 104 seats. Along with one independent MLA, the BJP has staked the claim at forming the ...